Sydney woman succeeds in quest to unite with half-sisters

For a time there was no filling the void left by the death of her mother and brother.

But their passing had the effect of strengthening Nichol MacNeil’s resolve.

The 34-year-old Sydney resident was finally determined to find her older long lost half-sister. That she did, but in the process of her year-and-a-half search MacNeil would discover she had another younger half-sister. In fact, the two would meet for the first time in Sydney this past weekend.

All three have different mothers but share the same 70 year old father, Gordon Gratham, who currently lives in Saskatchewan. None had been aware of each other’s existence.

Two decades ago MacNeil’s mom sat her down and let her in on a family secret. Her dad was not her biological father. Her mom left Gratham when she was two weeks old and at the time he had a daughter by the name of Lori Gratham.

By mid July 2016, Lori finally replied to a Facebook message MacNeil had sent her a year prior. Lori had finally come across the note in a hidden folder. She wanted to connect.

“I had almost given up hope that I would ever find her,” recalled MacNeil. “Here I was outside filling up the pool when I got her response on my phone and I ran in the house, telling my son. I was so ecstatic over it.”

The pair hit it off. This past summer they shared four days together at Gratham’s home in Brantford, Ontario.

“I’m a nervous person but all that went away as soon as we laid eyes on one another. It was if I already knew her. She welcomed me with arms wide open. We have a lot in common. We laugh at the same things. We both have the same size feet: size 10. It went better than I could have ever dreamed of.

As it turned out, Gratham knew that their father had yet another daughter, Lee Morrison. The two had encountered one another just once when Morrison was a baby. All Lori knew about her half sister was her surname and that she lived in the Kingston area. She wanted to get in touch but couldn’t summon up the courage to try.

But MacNeil did. She type up what little details she knew about her half sister and posted it on Kingston Buy and Sell Facebook page. Within an hour the pair had connected and were talking on the phone.

“She was excited,” recalled MacNeil. “She was like, ‘I have to come down to the East Coast in the spring. From then on, we’ve all been chatting on Facebook Messenger . It’s unbelievable.”

Lee spent the past weekend visiting MacNeil in Sydney. By all accounts it was a blast. The pair shared dinners, went to the movies and visited the Two Rivers Wildlife Park near Marion Bridge.

“It was amazing and since my mother passed away and my younger brother was killed, I kind of felt a loss of family,” said MacNeil. “Now, I have two different siblings that want to talk and we want to be involved in each other’s lives.”

For Morrison, who always thought she was an only child, the feeling is mutual.

“Next summer I plan to fly down to see Nichol again and we’ll drive up to Ontario,” said Morrison. “Hopefully, we’ll all have a great time together.”

Scheduling conflicts have meant the trio have yet to meet as a family. But they’re aiming for that this year.

“I guess my message for people out there still looking for lost family members is don’t give up hope,” said MacNeil. “I’m so thankful I didn’t.”